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Wildlife White-tailed Jackrabbit Page
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White-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus townsendii
Habitat: This is mostly a species of open country: prairie, open parkland, and alpine tundra. In western Colorado the species is found in semidesert shrublands and may migrate to such areas in winter.
Diet: In spring, summer, and early fall, grasses and sedges are favored, but in colder months forbs and shrubs become more important. In cultivated areas on the plains, winter wheat is consumed in spring and early summer. Specialized, soft fecal pellets are reingested for additional nutrition, as in other lagomorphs.
Description: The white-tailed jackrabbit is a large hare with a white rump and tail. In summer the upper parts are pale grayish brown except for the rump and tail, which are white. There may be a pale grayish to blackish band of hairs on the dorsal side of the tail but this stripe does not extend onto the rump. In the northern portions of the range and at higher elevations, the fall molt results in winter pelage that is almost totally white. In southern Colorado the winter pelage tends to be somewhat brownish dorsally and only slightly paler than the summer pelage (Hansen and Bear 1963). The ears are tipped with black as in the snowshoe hare, but the species in winter is readily recognizable by its much longer ears. Measurements are: total length 560-660 mm; length of tail 66-112 mm; length of hindfoot 145-175 mm; length of ear 100-115 mm; adult weight is 2.5-5 kg.
Range in Colorado: The white-tailed jackrabbit is widely distributed throughout the state except in the extreme southeastern and southwestern corners. It ranges from elevations of about 1,200 m (4,000 ft) to over 4,240 m (14,000 ft) (Hoeman 1964, C. Braun and Streeter 1968).
Status: CDOW Small Game Mammal
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Species Occurrence Tool
(*) NDIS has no county occurrence data for fish at this time.
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